To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Clackmannan of 2 July, on what criteria he decides whether the timing of discussions with the defence industry is commercially confidential.

The commercial-in-confidence caveat is applied to any information relating to a commercial undertaking's, processes or affairs which may be of commercial value to its competitors or to speculators. Disclosure of such information would damage the relationship of trust that must exist between commercial undertakings and the Government.